Columns

When my siblings and I were younger, the summer highlight was a “picinic” (Mom always added a syllable to that word, assuming that somehow the extra vowel would pique our pleasure) around Mora, Holman Hill or Tres Ritos, where we children waded and climbed.

Close to where Mom spread out her picinic blanket, my brother Severino, sister Evangeline and I got our fill of thrills as we tested our climbing skills in the hills.

We have a tendency to make life more complex than it really is. So let’s try to simplify it today. Let’s break it down to its simplest level.

Life is a series of interactions with others. Not interacting with others is not an option that is available. Because of this we must leave the comfort and security of our homes and go out and engage in interactions with others.

Some do this well without missing a beat, but for others their stress meter tops out as they are pushed to the edge of (or even outside) their comfort zone.

There are many benefits to living in Northern New Mexico. A big one in my book is being able to meet, to visit with our local public servants on a one-to-one encounter. I know that this is hard to come by in our larger cities and sometimes the message at hand gets garbled by speakers who are at the lower rungs of the topic ladder.

There aren’t a lot of people living in the southwestern corner of the state that borders Arizona and Mexico, known as New Mexico’s Bootheel. But that didn’t stop hundreds of area residents from finding their way to Animas earlier this month for a meeting about border security.

Area newspapers reported that more than 600 people turned out for the meeting. And they sent this “resounding message,” according to the Hidalgo County Herald: “The border is not safe, despite what you may have heard otherwise.”

As I answered the phone three evenings ago, I detected a bit of hesitation on the caller’s part.

She and I had worked in the same building at Highlands for years, until my retirement in 2000. The message came haltingly: “I hope you don’t resent me for this, but I disagree with you and need to get this off my mind.”

Alta Vista Regional Hospital is proud to care for our community. We are disappointed to suspend obstetric services. At this time it is not in our patients’ or community’s best interest to continue an OB program without consistent coverage.

Rats, garbage, nails, roots ... what do these all have in common? In our day-to-day lives, we encounter each of these routinely.

I was at a conference recently in Baltimore and the speaker told us the story of a lady with a nail in her forehead. It is a popular video on You Tube. As the speaker explained the concept behind the nail in the forehead, it struck home with me and the world we live in.

Editor’s note: The following statement was presented to the City Council on Wednesday on behalf the Rio Gallinas acequia members. The city and acequias have been battling in court over water, and the acequias are urging the city to settle the cases.

My readers know I enjoy New Mexico history, and I must say I discover history treasures in unsuspecting places here, just when I’m looking for something else. Such was the case when my nephew, Shane asked me to locate an old photograph of his uncle Jim.